NHL players will be eligible to play in their first Olympic games since 2014 in Sochi
NHL players will be eligible to play in their first Olympic games since 2014 in Sochi
The National Hockey League, National Hockey League Players’ Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation announced on Friday that along with the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament taking place in place of the NHL All-Star Festivities next February, NHL players will participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy and the 2030 Winter Olympics, which IIHF head Luc Tardif revealed would be held in Nice, France.
The NHL did not allow their players to go to consecutive Olympic games in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018, and Beijing, China in 2022 due to resistance from NHL owners sending their players during the middle of the regular season and other issues such as insurance and sharing of video rights.
The Buffalo Sabres could have several players involved in the tournament. Unlike the tournament next February which is limited to four countries (United States, Canada, Finland, and Sweden), the Olympic field will be 12 countries.
Here is a list of potential participants:
Sweden: Rasmus Dahlin – Dahlin is nearly a shoo-in to be on Sweden’s roster. The 23-year-old blueliner leads the NHL with 13 goals and is in the top 10 in league defensive scoring with 38 points.
Germany: J-J Peterka – Peterka leads the Sabres with 18 goals at the All-Star break and is coming off winning the top forward at the World Championships and the Germans are not particularly deep up front after Leon Draisaitl and Tim Stutzle.
Czechia: Jiri Kulich – This will depend on the 19-year-old’s progress between now and the beginning of the 2025-26 season, but Kulich has been his country’s best performer at consecutive World Juniors and led the American Hockey League in goals prior to leaving for Sweden in December.
United States: Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch - Thompson will likely be in the mix for Team USA. The 26-year-old scored 85 goals in the past two seasons and set a career-high 47 goals in 2023. He also has the versatility to play wing and center. Tuch has size and speed, and is also capable of playing special teams, which is what the Americans would be looking for from a bottom-six forward.
Canada: Jeff Skinner, Owen Power, and Devon Levi – Skinner is a longshot based on Canada’s depth at forward, but his consistent scoring and playmaking make him a possibility. Power (the 2021 top overall pick and Calder Trophy nominee) has the overall tools to be in the mix and Canada will be looking for young candidates with a group of blueliners aging out (Alex Pietrangelo will be 35, Brent Burns will be 40, Drew Doughty will be 36). Levi has not established himself in the NHL, but with Carter Hart’s future status in hockey in question, Canadian goaltending could be limited to the likes of Levi, Jordan Binnington, Stuart Skinner, and Tristan Jarry.
LATEST THN BUFFALO STORIES
First Half Report Card – Forwards